The present invention relates generally to child carriers and, more particularly, to a child carrier including a frame and a soft body portion mounted on the frame for supporting a child.
Carriers for carrying small children either in front of or in back of an adult have become increasingly popular as an alternative to holding a child in one's arms or placing a child in a stroller. Two types of carriers available include soft carriers which are generally formed of soft material and include straps for extending around an adult's shoulders to support the carrier, and frame carriers which include a rigid frame and a child supporting body portion mounted to the frame wherein shoulder straps and a waist belt are provided attached to the frame such that the weight of the carrier is distributed between an adult's shoulders and waist. Frame carriers are designed to be supported on a persons back and, as a result of distributing the weight between upper and lower portions of the persons back, the frame carrier is well suited for long term use.
Generally, a frame carrier is designed to engage a user at specific points on the back, such as at the shoulders and at the hips. Since carriers are generally used by more than one person, such as by both parents, the frame of the carrier must be designed such that it will be comfortable on users of different sizes. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a frame carrier which may be easily and quickly adjusted to accommodate a large range of body sizes for users.
In providing adjustments for supporting a carrier frame on the user, it is desirable to maintain the center of gravity for a child supported in the carrier as close as possible to the center of gravity for the user supporting the carrier. This is best accomplished by providing a substantially constant shoulder strap position regardless of the user, and adjusting the height of the waist belt in accordance with the height of the user. Maintaining the center of gravity of the child as close as possible to that of the adult minimizes the need of the adult to compensate for the weight of the child by leaning forward excessively, and further minimizes the inertial load associated with turning side to side or stopping.
A further desirable aspect for a child carrier includes providing an adjustment whereby a seat for a child in the carrier may be adjusted to accommodate the size of the particular child. Adjusting the seat for the size of the child insures that the child is provided with sufficient support for sitting and sleeping, and preferably reduces movement and inertial momentum as the adult supporting the carrier moves around.